Mason County Schools will be operating on a 2 Hour Delay tomorrow January 22, 2024. Staff and students will report on the delay. Please be aware that some buses may not be able to run their routes due to road conditions. Bus drivers will make that call.
Mason County Schools will be operating on an NTI Day schedule tomorrow Jan 19, 2024. Students and staff do not report. If your student is working on a packet tomorrow is Day 3. Teachers will be available from 10:00-2:00 to help students by email, Google Classroom or LiveGrades.
Mason County Schools will be operating on a 2 Hour Delay tomorrow January 18, 2024. Staff and students will report on the delay. Please be aware that some buses may not be able to run their routes due to road conditions. Bus drivers will make that call.
Mason County Schools will be operating on an NTI Day schedule tomorrow January 17, 2024. Students and staff do not report. If your child is working on a packet tomorrow is Day 2. Teachers will be available from 10:00-2:00 to help students by email, Google Classroom or LiveGrades.
Mason County Schools will be operating on an NTI Day schedule tomorrow. Students and staff do not report to school. Teachers will be available from 10:00-2:00 online to help students by email or using Google Classroom or LiveGrades.
Mason County Schools will be closed on Monday, January 15, 2024 in honor of the Martin Luther King Jr. Day Holiday.
Parents have power to help make schools healthier. We need you! Provide comments on our local school wellness by clicking in the survey link below:
https://forms.office.com/r/QC4KH6kMVL
Board meeting is live at 6:00 PM via our YouTube channel. Use link below https://youtube.com/@masoncounty5862
Mason County Cooks kicked of 2024 with a scratch cook training. What is scratch cooking? Scratch cooking means making food from whole ingredients and prioritizing raw proteins, whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables with the intention of creating nutritious meals for students. Mason County schools use scratch cooking as a way to keep students full, nourished, and growing.
Fun Fact: Did you know scratch cooked meals promote healthy behavior and cognition?
According to the National Institute of Behavioral Health, children who receive nutrient-rich foods have increased cognitive function compared to children who lack these essential nutrients. Better-quality diets are also linked to higher test scores, longer attention spans, increased work capacity, and more class participation.
Finish this school year strong by fueling your bodies in your school cafe' for breakfast and lunch!
Mason County Board of Education Special Informational Meeting is live 1/5/2024 at 10:00 AM via our YouTube channel. Use link below https://youtube.com/@masoncounty5862
Marshall is excited to announce our unique professional development course options that will be offered this upcoming Spring 2024 term. Please be aware of the deadlines to register, the course start and end dates, and course length, some are a full semester and some are only a half semester. All courses are 3 graduate level credits that can be used toward renewal or salary upgrades. These are all online platform and truly at your own pace! https://epay.marshall.edu/secure/cgi/staffdevstonew.cgi
Second Semester Virtual School registration opens today January 3rd and closes January 10th. If you have questions, please contact Dr. Kenny Bond at 304-675-4540 extension 49156
https://forms.office.com/r/tf4WtWC196
Board meeting is live at 6:00 PM via our YouTube channel. Use link below https://youtube.com/@masoncounty5862
Dear Mason County Parents, Staff, Students and Community Members,
I want to take a moment and explain a recent event and share my thoughts and actions. As many of you may know, there were scoreboards recently installed at Point Pleasant Junior/Senior High School with a business name and religious symbols. They were in place over the past weekend before I was informed Sunday evening. This led to a very difficult situation where I had to make a decision and take action that directly conflicted with my personal beliefs. If any of you have had to make such a decision, I am sorry as it is very difficult.
As superintendent of Mason County Schools, I have the responsibility to ensure the district follows law and policy. In this instance, the signs on the scoreboards as installed violated the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
The Courts have interpreted the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to mean that public schools cannot promote or endorse religious beliefs. Therefore, the question becomes; Is bringing religious symbols into public schools OK? We are directed to only use symbols as instructional aids, not as permanent display or decoration. Permanent displays of religious symbols on public school property violate current interpretations of the Establishment Clause. The Ten Commandments, for example, are unarguably religious in nature. Their permanent display in public schools communicates an endorsement for Christianity—just as hanging a Star of David in a classroom or gymnasium could make it appear that the school favors or endorses Judaism. Public schools are not permitted under the establishment clause of the first amendment to endorse or appear to endorse any religion. A cross is clearly a religious symbol. We are not permitted as a school district to endorse Christianity any more than we can endorse Judaism, Islam, or any other religious group.
Our students or staff can wear cross necklaces, they can pray over their lunch, etc.; however, the school system may not appear to endorse religion and to do so is a violation of the law. The courts have spoken to this a number of times under many sets of facts, and ultimately the premise remains that public school systems are not permitted to endorse or advance religion. I am working with our attorney and the business owner who supplied the scoreboard to place an advertisement there that will meet the legal requirements we must follow.
Why was this decision so difficult for me to make? I am a born-again Christian and the Chairman of the Deacon Board at Milton Baptist Church in Milton, WV. My personal faith wants to see such displays and allow such activities as prayer before games for the safety of the players. However, I am required in my role to ensure the stability and continued success of the school district, and I am required to follow these current laws, regardless of my personal beliefs. The current political climate on a national level is such that litigation ensues any time a public entity knowingly violates these current laws and court decisions, such as religious symbols at schools or prayer at a school event that is not spontaneous and student led. When the national political and judicial system changes to recognize the established principals which founded our nation, we may see such requirements change.
I want to thank each of you for taking a few minutes and reading this message and for welcoming me into this great community. My prayer is for God to bless each of you and your families with love, peace and happiness.
Merry Christmas!
Tim Hardesty
Superintendent
Mason County Schools will be closed for students from December 20, 2023-January 2, 2024. School resumes January 3, 2024. Have a restful break and Merry Christmas!
Due to slick road conditions Mason County Schools will be operating on a 2 Hour Delay tomorrow December 19, 2023. This delay is for students and staff
Wahama Jr/Sr High School will be dismissing early due to water issues. The buses will pick up the students at 2:00 PM. After buses leave, the other students will be released.
Board meeting is live at 6:00 PM via our YouTube channel. Use link below https://youtube.com/@masoncounty5862
Come join your friends from Mason County Schools at the Mason County Community Christmas. Today 10-1 at Trinity UMC Family Center
The Point Pleasant High School Soccer Team was recognized by the Board of Education for being the 2023 WVSSAC AA/A State Champions #MasonProud
